William p



(No Model.)

W. P. GRASSLER. ELEGTRIG RAILWAY.

Patented Sept. 8, 1896.

- Tzgi :Euul

UNTTED STATES \VILLIAM F. GRASSLER, OF VILLIAMSPORT, PENNSYLVANIA,ASSIGNOR OF TWO-THIRDS TO B. A. HOFFNAGLE AND JOHN L. GUINTER, OF SAMEPLACE.

ELECTRIC RAILWAY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 567,540, datedSeptember 8, 1896. Application filed May 8, 1896. Serial No. 590,761.(No model.)

To ttZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM F. GRAssLER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Williamsport, in the county of Lycomin g and State ofPennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Electric Railway, of whichthe following is a specification.

This invention relates to electric railways; and it has for its objectto effect certain new and useful improvements in electric-railwaysystems, whereby an ordinary surface-track system can be readilyconverted into an electric system at a small expense.

To this end the main and primary object of the present invention is toprovide simple and practicable means for feeding the electric current toa motor-car in connection with a surface track, thereby obviating theuse of the objectionable and dangerous overhead trolley and also theexpensive subway or conduit system.

With these and other objects in view, which will readily appear as thenature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in thenovel construction, combination, and arrangement of parts hereinaftermore fully described, illustrated, and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of a surface track andmotor-car truck equipped with the improvements contemplated by thisinvention. Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view thereof. Fig. 3 is anenlarged detail sectional view illustrating more clearly the thirdconductor-rail and the connections therewith for feeding the current tothe motor of the car. Fig. 4 is a detail elevation of the trucktrolley-Wheel.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, the numeral 1 designates anordinary surface track comprising the usual track-rails 2, mounted onthe cross-ties 3. The surface track 1 may be of any desired character,Whether for street-railway use or otherwise, but in the presentinvention the track is designed to have used in connection therewith athird conductor-rail 4. The third conductor-rail 4 is adapted to bemounted on the cross-ties of theltrack at theinner side of and directlyadjacent to one of the track-rails, and in thus arranging the thirdconductor-rail in position no modification whatever of the surface trackis required. The said third conductor-rail 4 is preferably provided witha flat inner side 5, so that it can be arranged in close proximity tothe adjacent track-rail 2, but at the side opposite the flat inner side5 the said third rail is provided with an ordinary base-flange 6,whereby the same can be firmly secured in place on the cross-ties of thetrack. The rail 4 is further provided in its fiat side, near the tread 7thereof, with a Wire-groove 8, in which is suitably secured a feed-wire9, leading from the source of electrical energy and having metalliccontact with the third rail, so as to provide for feeding theelectricity thereto for distribution to the motor carried by themotor-car truck 10.

The motor-car truck 10 is of any approved construction and carries anordinary electric motor 1 1-, suitably geared with the wheel-axles 12 ofthe truck. The wheel-axles 12 of the truck carry the usual car-wheels13, arranged to travel over the rails 2 of the track, but in the presentinvention one of said car-wheels, designated by the numeral 13, acts inthe capacity of a trolley-wheel for collecting the current from thethird rail of the system and is insulated from its axle. The trucktrolleywheel 13 is preferably made in two parts 14 and 15, respectively,the part 14 being of the ordinary shape of a car-wheel and arranged totravel on one of the rails 2 of the track in the usual Way. The mainpart 14 of the truck trolley-wheel 13 is preferably made of pressedpaper or otherwise suitably insulated from the part 15 and, its axle, soas not to have electrical connection with the track-rail on which ittravels, but the part 15 of the Wheel 13, which is an inner metallictread for the said wheel, is bolted or otherwise suitably secured to themain insulator part 14 of the wheel.

The inner metallic supplemental tread portion 15 'of the truck trolleywheel 13 travels directly on the tread 7 of the third rail 4, and isprovided with a flat inner side 16, on which is secured a contact-ring17, against which contact-ring bears a metallic collecting-spool 18,which freely rotates when the wheel 18 is in motion. The metalliccollecting-spool IOO 18 is journaled in a suitable hearing 19 at one endof a supporting-arm 20, connected with a hanger 21, suspended from thecartruck 10, and having an adjusting-spring 22 connected therewith toprovide for holding the spool 18 in firm facial contact with the ring 17of the wheel 13. The said collectingspool 18 has suitable wireconnections with the electric motor 11 of the car-truck to provide forfeeding the current through the 1110- tor from the third rail and thetrolley-wheel traveling thereon.

The construction herein described is exceedingly simple and is readilyadapted to any surface road and to any electric-motor car withoutmaterial modification thereof or much expense, and it will be understoodthat changes in the form, proportion, and the minor details ofconstruction may be resorted to Without departing from the principle orsacrificing any of the advantages of this invention.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed, and desired to besecured by Letters Patent, is

1. In an electric railway, the combination with a surface track; of athird conductorrail arranged adjacent to and at one side of one of thetrack-rails, a motor-car truck having one of its wheels provided withseparate treads insulated from each other and respectively traveling onone of the track-rails and said third rail, and a collecting device forthe motor of the car-truck, substantially as set forth.

2. In an electric railway, the combination with a surface track; of athird conductorrail arranged adjacent to and at one side of one of thetrack-rails and provided with a fiat side having therein a longitudinalwiregroove, a feed-wire secured in said wiregroove, a motor-car truckhaving one of its Wheels provided With separate treads insulated fromeach other and respectively traveling on said third rail and adjacenttrackrail, a contact-ring secured on the inner side of the Wheel-treadtraveling on the third rail,-

a spring-adj usted supporting-arm suspended from the car-truck andcarrying a collectingspool bearing against said contact-ring, andsuitable Wire connections between the motor of the oar-truck and saidcollecting-spool, substantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

\VILLIAM F. GRASSLER.

Vitnesses:

JOHN H. Sreenns, THEODORE DALTON.

